Holly Brause

Dr. Holly Brause is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at New Mexico State University (NMSU). Her research focuses on cultural and environmental anthropology, particularly transboundary water resources, climate change, and sustainable agriculture in the US Southwest and US/Mexico border regions. She leads interdisciplinary projects addressing groundwater governance and agricultural futures.

Her expertise includes the New Mexico chile industry, transboundary aquifers, and stakeholder engagement in resource management. She collaborates with NMSU’s Water Resources Research Institute and leads the Strategic Fallowing project, combining social science with hydrology and economics to develop policy tools for agricultural sustainability.

Brause teaches courses such as Intro to Cultural Anthropology and Applied Anthropology. Her work emphasizes participatory methods and applied research to bridge science, policy, and community needs.

Current research projects include examining US/Mexico border groundwater frameworks and future agriculture viability in southern New Mexico. These efforts aim to inform decision-making for equitable resource management.